cymbidium

[sim-bid-ee-uhm]

noun

1. any of various orchids of the genus Cymbidium, native to Asia and Australia, having long clusters of numerous showy, variously colored flowers.

cymbidium

/ sɪmˈbɪdɪəm /

noun

1. a genus, Cymbidium , of subtropical and tropical orchids native to Australia and Asia, having boat-shaped showy flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of cymbidium¹

1799; < New Latin < Greek kýmb ( ē ) ( cymbiform ) + -idion -idium

Word History and Origins

Origin of cymbidium¹

C19: from Latin cymba boat

Example Sentences

If you like cymbidiums — I find the blooms lost in the thicket of their upright leaves — they are happy to spend the summers outside in the shade.

Read more on Washington Post

Mrs. Obama likes cymbidium orchids and looser, garden-style flower arrangements, less formal than in previous administrations and sometimes more dramatic.

Read more on New York Times

Not so common but larger and handsomer than the dendrobiums are the cymbidiums, of which there are sixteen different species, usually with long grassy leaves and many-flowered drooping racemes with large handsome flowers.

Read more on Project Gutenberg